Friction draft gear



May 6 1924;

' R. J. COOK FRICTION DRAFT GEAR Filed Feb. l0 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Milk "4 May 6, 1924. 7 1,492,779

I R. J. COOK v FRICTION DRAFT GEAR Filed Feb. 10 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 6 ,1924. 1,492,779

. R. J. COOK FRIGTI ON DRAFT GEAR Filed Feb. 10 1922 s Sheets-Sheet s 12 v w ///////4y/1 Eve/[for om'r eo sra'rs Patented May 6, 1924.

P'r' r "apnea;-

ROY J. COOK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRICTION DRAFT GEAR:

Application filed February 10, 1922. Serial No. 535,488.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoY J. Coon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction Draft Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to draft gear for railway cars and its purposeis to provide an improved form of friction draft gear having an improved construction and arrangement of the parts which have a sliding frictional engagement with each other. The principal object of the invention is to provide a draft gear comprising a pair.

of casings adapted to be receivedwithin the yoke and provided with friction surfaces adapted to coact with an improved arrange ment of friction blocks.- A further object is to provide an improved arrangement of the friction surfaces and an increased number of friction blocks whereby frictional resistance is provided in an improved and more eflicient manner as compared with friction draft gears heretofore known.

Other objects'relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully herein.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings, in which two embodiments are illustrated. In the drawings Figure 1 shows a horizontal sectional view through the longitudinal center line ofa friction draft gear comprising one form of the present invention with a part of the structure shown in plan, the relative positions of the parts corresponding to the extended position of the draft gear.

Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal vertical'section through the draft gear illustrated in Fig. 1,.the section being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the central friction blocks embodied in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the intermediate friction blocks which coact with the central friction blocks in the form illustratedin Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the outer friction blocks which are located outwardly of and in contact with the interme diate friction blocks in the form of construction illustrated in Fig. 1.-

6 is a perspective view of one of the Fig. 8 shows a longitudinal sectional-view similar to Fig. 1 through one end-of the positions of the parts when the draft gear is compressed or closed.

Fig. 9 shows a perspective view o-f lone. of the side or connecting friction wedges or blocks; and Fig. 10 shows a longitudinal vertical section through one end of a. modified form-- friction draft gear, showing, the relative of draft gear in which the intermediate wedge. blocks and outer wedge blocks are.

combined as integral members. 1

The inventionis illustrated inthedraw ings in connection with a railway car comprising longitudinal centersills 10, havingf draftlugs -11 secured theretoby means of rivets 12. A yoke 13 having upper and lower arms'13 and 13", respectively and a rear wall 13,"is mounted between the sills 10 and the forward endshof. these arms are provided with inturned shoulders 14 adapted to coactl withthe upper and lower shoulders of the coupler butt"15, which is formed integrally with the usual coupler.

The coupler butt is secured to shank 15.

the arms of the yoke by means of vertical" rivets 16. The yoke is supported in posi-Q.

tion between the sills 10 by means of trans verse strips 17, which are secured to the lower flanges of the center sills by means of rivets or-bolts 18. as shown in Fig. 7.

The improved friction draft gear com-' prises a pair of casings 20, which are box: I

like structures open at one end, these casings comprising upper walls'20, lower walls 20", rear walls 20 and sidewalls 20. The

casings are mounted in the yoke 1 3,'with their open ends facing each other, and with their lower walls 20 resting on the lower arm 13 of the yoke. The, end wall 2090f one casing coacts with the vertical face of the coupler butt'15 and the end wall 20 of the other casing coacts with the 7 vertical rear wall 13 of the yoke. The casings project laterallyv beyond the yoke and the end walls 20 are adapted to be engaged by the draft lugs 11, carriedby the center sills. The op? posite side walls 20 of each casing 20 are provided with inclined friction surfaces 22 which lie in vertical planes and converge away from the center of the draft gear."

These connecting wedges or side friction blocks have the form illustrated particularly in Fig. 9 and are adapted to extend between the casings 20 and form a connection between the frictional surfaces thereon, the casings being spaced apart as shown in Fig. 1 to permit relative movement thereof when the draft gear is compressed. The friction surfaces 23 are formed on the outer sides of the end portions of the connecting friction blocks or wedges 24, and the enlarged extremities on which these surfaces are formed are connected by a longitudinal web 24: reinforced by longitudinal ribs 24. The inner sides of the enlarged extremities of the friction blocks 24 are provided with other friction surfaces 25 which are inclined inwardly toward the center of the draft gear from the surfaces 22. The surfaces 25 are adapted to coact with inclined friction surfaces 26 formed on the outer wedge blocks 26, having the form illustrated particularly in' Fig. 5. Each wedge block 26 also has a transverse vertical surface 26 p which is adapted to coact with the inner surface 20 of the end wall 20 of the casing 20. The blocks 26 are further provided with longitudinally extending surfaces 26 which lie in vertical planes and are adapted to coact with similarly located surfaces 27 formed on the intermediate wedge blocks 27. The intermediate wedge blocks 27, two of which are located in each casing 20, are provided with other inclined surfaces 27 which are adapted to coact with surfaces 28 formed on the central wedge blocks 28. The blocks 28 are provided with end surfaces 28 which coact with the surfaces 20 of the casings 20 and the two surfaces 28- of each block converge inwardly toward the center of the draft gear to engage the similarly converging surfaces 27 which are formed on the intermediate wedge blocks.

A spring follower 30 seats upon the end surface 27 of the intermediate wedge blocks 27 in each casing and .these followers are provided with studs 30 adapted to engage the ends of coiled springs 31, 32 and 33 which extend between the followers in the oppositely disposed casings 20 and serve as the compressible elements of the draft gear. Each spring follower is provided with laterally extending projections 3O which are adapted to extend into notches 26 in the blocks 26 and engage shoulders 34 which are formed on the side friction blocks 24 at the inner extremities of the friction surfaces 25. Side walls 20 and the upper and lower walls 20 and 20*, respectively, are provided with inturned ribs 35, which strengthen the casings. and enable them better to withstand the buffing stresses. The friction surfaces on the side walls, which coact with the frict1on wedges 24 preferably terminate short of the ends of the casings so that recesses thus caused to approach each other, as the rear wall 13 of the yoke moves away from the end wall 20 of the rear casing. In a similar manner, the forward movement of the draw bar or coupler causes the rear casing 20 to be carried in a forward direction by the engagement therewith of the rear wall 13 of the yoke, while the forward cas ing 20 is held in a stationary position by the forward draft lugs 11 as the coupler butt 15 moves away from the end wall of the forward casing. This movement of the two casings 20 toward each other by either a forward or rearward movement of the draw bar or coupler is adapted to effect acornpression of the draft gear by causing the compression of the springs and a sliding movement of the friction surfaces on each other. When this compression takes place the outer friction surfaces 23 of the side. friction blocks slide toward the ends of the casings on the surfaces 22 and at the same time the ends of the side friction blocks 24 are moved inwardly due to the inclination of the surfaces 22. As the endwise move- 'ment of the surfaces 23 takes place, the surfaces 25 coacting with the surfaces 26 cause the blocks 26 to move inwardly toward the longitudinal center line of the draft gear and the pressure on the blocks 27 caused by the inward movement of the blocks 26 ef-, fects a movement of the blocks 27 longitudinally of the draft gear with the surface 27 sliding on the surfaces 26, with the surfaces 27 sliding on the surfaces 28 of the central friction blocks and with the blocks 27 also sliding on the spring followers 30. As the blocks 27 are :moved longitudinally of the draft gear they move the spring followers 30 in the opposite casings toward each other, thus compressing the springs 31, 32 and The arts: are thus caused to assume the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 8. In th s way the compression of the draft gear is resisted not only by the springs but als b the contacting frictional surfaces which are arranged in order to effect the maximum 0pposition to the compressing movement, while at the same time permitting a ready release of the gear and the return of its part to their normal positions when the strain on the draw bar or coupler is removed.

A modified form of construction is illustrated in Fig. 10 where the casing 40 1s those previously described and adapted tocoactwit h the inclined surfaces 45 formed on the intermediate friction blocks 45. These blocks are provided with end surfaces 45 adapted to rest on the; surfaces 4O formed on the end wallsof the casings, when the gear is expanded, and the'blocks 45 are further provided with inclined surfaces 45 which coact directly with the inclined surfaces 46of the/central friction blocks'46. Ilhese central friction blocks are similar to those previously described and coact with the surfaces of the end walls of the casing but have no movement thereon. The intermediate friction blocks are further provided with transverse vertical surfaces 45 which engage the spring followers 47. These spring followers are provided with lateral proiectio-n 47 adapted to engage the shoulders on the side friction blocks 43 and they are also provided with central lugs 47 which engage the ends of the coil springs 48, 49 and 50. This form of construction differs from that previously described merely in the combination of the outer friction blocks and intermediate friction blocks in the integral members 45.

Although certain forms of the invention have been shown and'described for the purpose of illustration, it willbe under stood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments without departing from the scope of the attendant claims.

What I claim is:

1. A draft gear comprising a pair of boxlike casings having their open ends facing each other, said casings having side walls provided with inclined surfaces, side friction blocks extending between opposite casings and having outer inclined surfaces coacting with the inclined surfaces of said side walls, said side friction blocks having inner inclined surfaces, intermediate friction blocks actuatable by said side friction blocks. central friction blocks coacting with said intermediate friction blocks, spring followers engaging said intermediate friction blocks, and springs extending between opposite casings and engaging said spring followers.

2. A draft gear comprising a pair of casings, each of said casings comprising a pair of side walls and an end wall, said side walls being provided with inclined friction surfaces, side friction blocks having outer inclined surfaces to coact with the inclined surfaces on said side walls, said side friction blocks being provided attheir ends with inner inclined surfaces, outer friction blocks coacting with said inner inclined surfaces and with said endwalls, wedgi'ng means, in tel-mediate frictionblocks coact ng with said outer friction blocks and said wedging means,- spring followersflengagingsaid in termediate' friction blocks, and "a spring extending between "said spring followers.

3. A draft gear comprising a pair of casings, each of said casings comprising a pair-of side walls and an-end wall, said side walls being provided with inclined frictionsurfaces, side friction blocks having outer inclined surfacesto coact with the inclined surfaces on said side walls, sa'idside friction is v blocks being provided at their ends'with'in- 1 ner inclined surfaces, outerfriction blocks coacting with said inner inclined surfaces and with said end walls, intermediate friction blocks coacting with said outer fric tion blocks, said outer friction blocks having inner surfaces extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the draft gear, intermediate friction blocks having outer surfaces adapted to coact with said inner surfaces of said outer friction blocks, said intermediate friction blocks being provided on their inner sides with inclined friction surfaces, and central friction blocks coacting with the inner inclined surfaces of said intelfiledlate friction blocks and with said end wa s.

4. A draft gear comprising a pair of casings, each of said casings comprising a pair of side walls and an end wall. said side walls being provided with inclined friction surfaces. side friction blocks having outer inclined surfaces to coact with'the inclined surfaces on said side walls, said side friction blocks being provided at their ends with inner inclined surfaces, outer friction blocks coacting with said inner inclined surfaces and with said end walls, intermediate friction blocks coacting with said outer friction blocks, said outer friction blocks having inner surfaces extending parallel with the longitudinal axis of the draft gear, intermediate friction blocks having outer surfaces adapted to coact with said inner surfaces of said outer friction blocks, said intermediate friction blocks being provided on their inner sides with inclined friction surfaces, central friction blocks coacting with the inner inclined surand with said end walls, spring followers engaging said intermediate friction blocks, and a spring extending between said spring followers.

5. A draft gear comprising a pair of casfaces of said intermediate friction blocks extremities provided with outer inclined surfacesadapted to coact with the inclined surfaces on said end walls, said enlarged extremities being provided with inner inclined surfaces, friction blocks coacting with said inner inclined surfaces, and compressible mechanism located between and actuatable by said last named friction blocks.

6. A draft gear comprising a pair of casings, said casings each'being provided with side Walls and an end wall, said side walls being provided with inner surfaces inclined to the longitudinal axis of the draft gear, said side walls being recessed at the ends of said inclined surfaces opposite said end i aozme Walls side friction blocks having enlarged surfaces on said end walls, said enlarged extremities being provided with inner inclined surfaces, friction blocks extending between and engaging said inner inclined surfaces, spring followers coacting with said lastnamed friction blocks and having parts adapted to engage said shoulders and a spring extending between said spring followers. Y

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

- ROY J. COOK. 

